
Chefe de Estado, Filipe Nyusi, recebeu em audiência, Lutero Simango, presidente do Movimento Democrático de Moçambique (MDM)
Maputo, 20 Jun (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Monday granted an audience to Lutero Simango, leader of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), the second largest opposition party in the country.
During the meeting Nyusi said he was willing to enter into dialogue, not only with the MDM, but with the main opposition force, Renamo, and with civil society organisations.
“The country belongs to all Mozambicans, and Mozambicans should have the space to talk about their country”, said the President. “We know that good ideas do not have political party colours”.
Summarising the meeting, Nyusi said they had discussed the fight against terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, the government’s economic diplomacy, and various socio-economic and legal matters.
“All these aspects were referred to, and we took note of what we can make use of”, he added.
For his part, Simango praised Nyusi for the closure, last Thursday, of Renamo’s final military base, at Vanduzi, in the central district of Gorongosa, which was the culmination of the Demobilisation, Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR) of Renamo’s militia.
“We had the privilege to say that it is necessary to continue pacifying the country”, declared the MDM leader. “We recognize the effort that is being made to stabilize the situation in the north of the country”.
Simango urged Nyusi to establish the condition for Mozambique’s mineral resources to be processed inside the country and to be exported a finished goods, rather than simply as raw materials.
“We believe the country needs an economy that generates not only wealth but also opportunities and job creation for our fellow citizens”, he declared.
Simango also took the opportunity to complain to Nyusi about the illegalities that had marked the voter registration that had run from 20 April to 3 June.
Cited in Tuesday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Mediafax”, he gave the example of the Beira district director of STAE (Electoral Administration Technical Secretariat) whose activities in support of the ruling Frelimo Party were so flagrant that the National Elections Commission (CNE) suspended him.
Simango also said the distribution of the voter registration brigades had not been in proportion to the size of the population. He claimed that more brigades were stationed in relatively sparsely populated municipalities in the south of the country than in more populous cities and towns in the centre and north.
(AIM)
Pf/ (395)